Walmart’s low prices and massive market shares in the grocery corner of the United States economy actually does more damage to our economy, local businesses, the middle class, and its employees than walmart claims to help. In recent years Walmart has grown to encompass 15% of the grocery market.1 While 15% percent may not seem like much, in an industry fueled by local growth and consumption on a town to town base, it is almost comparable to a monopoly. Especially when you take into consideration that it is the single largest employer in America.2
How then one may ask can the largest american employer be doing such damage to our country? The answer is complex in the sense of how big of a scale such a corporate conglomerate can affect those …show more content…
They also contribute to the gain or loss of manufacturing jobs and businesses. Between 2001 and 2007, an approximate estimate of 40,000 U.S. factories closed, destroying millions of jobs. While Walmart's endless search for lower costs is not the only factor that drove manufacturing overseas, it was an immense contributor. During the six years, coincidently, Walmart's imports from China tripled in value from $9 billion to $27 billion. Wal-Mart sends most of their revenue out of the community, while local businesses keep more consumer dollars in local economy: for every $100 spent in locally owned businesses, $68 stays in the town’s economy while chain stores, like walmart, only left $43 to re-circulate …show more content…
A former Wal-Mart employee has filed a class-action suit against the conglomerate due to allegedly forcing employees to work without pay. Maria Gamble of Farmingville, N.Y., is filing suit on behalf of 20,000 current and former Wal-Mart employees in New York state who have maid claims that they were denied pay for overtime hours worked. Gamble claims she and other employees would be locked in their store in Centereach NY. They would not be allowed to leave until the cash registers were counted and shelves stocked even though they were already off the clock. She states that this entire process usually took up too two hours. The suit also charges Wal-Mart with requiring employees to work through meals and rest breaks and not providing "spread of hours" pay, which requires that an employee working more than 10 consecutive hours is entitled to one additional hour of minimum wage pay. The plaintiffs want to receive their unpaid overtime spread-of-hours wages, reasonable attorneys' fees and the costs of the action, according to the suit, which was filed in New York State Supreme
How then one may ask can the largest american employer be doing such damage to our country? The answer is complex in the sense of how big of a scale such a corporate conglomerate can affect those …show more content…
They also contribute to the gain or loss of manufacturing jobs and businesses. Between 2001 and 2007, an approximate estimate of 40,000 U.S. factories closed, destroying millions of jobs. While Walmart's endless search for lower costs is not the only factor that drove manufacturing overseas, it was an immense contributor. During the six years, coincidently, Walmart's imports from China tripled in value from $9 billion to $27 billion. Wal-Mart sends most of their revenue out of the community, while local businesses keep more consumer dollars in local economy: for every $100 spent in locally owned businesses, $68 stays in the town’s economy while chain stores, like walmart, only left $43 to re-circulate …show more content…
A former Wal-Mart employee has filed a class-action suit against the conglomerate due to allegedly forcing employees to work without pay. Maria Gamble of Farmingville, N.Y., is filing suit on behalf of 20,000 current and former Wal-Mart employees in New York state who have maid claims that they were denied pay for overtime hours worked. Gamble claims she and other employees would be locked in their store in Centereach NY. They would not be allowed to leave until the cash registers were counted and shelves stocked even though they were already off the clock. She states that this entire process usually took up too two hours. The suit also charges Wal-Mart with requiring employees to work through meals and rest breaks and not providing "spread of hours" pay, which requires that an employee working more than 10 consecutive hours is entitled to one additional hour of minimum wage pay. The plaintiffs want to receive their unpaid overtime spread-of-hours wages, reasonable attorneys' fees and the costs of the action, according to the suit, which was filed in New York State Supreme